This evening’s report on killing of the CT bill 1098 by Catholic News Service:

Bill giving laity control of parish finances killed in Connecticut

HARTFORD, Conn. (CNS) — At the request of its proponents, a bill that would have given laypeople financial control of their parishes in Connecticut has been withdrawn and is dead for this legislative session. In a joint statement March 10, the co-chairmen of the Connecticut Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, Sen. Andrew J. McDonald of Stamford and Rep. Michael Lawlor of East Haven, announced the cancellation of a scheduled March 11 hearing on the controversial bill. There was no immediate comment on the bill’s demise from the Catholic bishops of Connecticut, who had strongly opposed the legislation and urged Catholics to turn out at the hearing in large numbers. “At the request of the proponents who are advocating this legislation, we have decided to cancel the public hearing for tomorrow, table any further consideration of this bill for the duration of this session, and ask the attorney general his opinion regarding the constitutionality of the existing law,” said McDonald and Lawlor, both Democrats and Catholics. “It would serve no useful purpose to have a conversation about changing the laws that govern existing Roman Catholic corporations until we know if any of these existing laws are constitutional,” they said.

For the moment the bill is off the table. Good. Prayers answered. BUT it’s only a matter of time before this initiative (or something similar) is reintroduced –with sharper teeth– which will shake the dander of faithful Catholics who hold firmly to Catholic teaching. Some will see this threat as lacking merit, but heterodox will pull something else to threaten the security of free exercise of religion. Sorry to say, fellow Nutmegers have tried to disrupt the unity of the Church. Senator Michael McLachlan this afternoon after announcing the tabling of the bill, “Now they [Andrew McDonald and Michael Lawler] want the Catholic Church to defend the laws on the books since 1866!” THE fight is not over…by a long shot.

About the author

Paul A. Zalonski is from New Haven, CT. He is a member of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, a Catholic ecclesial movement, and an Oblate of Saint Benedict. Contact Paul at paulzalonski[at]yahoo.com.